Sewing machine



Aug. 10 1926.

J-.K|EWICZ SEWING MACHINE Filed Feb.

3 Sheets-Sheat 1 lnvenl'or. John K 5 sw m;

Aug. 19 1926.

J. KEIEWICZ SEWING MACHINE Filed Feb. 8, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTys' 6O lnvenffon dohn K i vv as Aug. 10 1926.

, J. KIEWICZ SEWING MACHINE Filed Feb. 8. 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 W m Mm .m. A n W Va. 5. mam, mm v. .J m

Patented Aug. 10, 1926.

UETED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN KIEWICZ, 013 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE REE-OE BUTTON HOLE MACHINE COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MIASSACHU'SETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

SEWING MACHINE.

Application filed February 8, 1926. Serial No. 86,732.

This invention relates to sewing machines of that known type which include two co-opcrating loopers and loop-spreading means situated beneath the work and acting alternately to take and spread loops of needle thread that are presented by a needle which penetrates the work from above.

Some sewing machines of this type, especially those adapted to form stitches along the edges of a button-hole or around an eyelet, are provided with a turret on which the loopers are mounted, the turret being constructed to turn in order to carry the stitch ing around the ends of the buttonhole or around the eyelet. As illustrating sewing machines of this type reference is made to United States Patents No. 862,238, August 6th, 1907, and No. 911,551, February 2nd, 1909.

In sewing machines of this type the loopers are given a more or less irregular oscillatory movement and the present invention relates to a novel means for producing this oscillating movement of the loopers, which means is conducive to high speed operation. It is a. common practice in sewing machines of this type to mount the loopers on an oscillating block which will be referred to as a looper carrier, and according to the present invention this block is oscillated to give the loopers their required movement by means of a rotary cam which is mounted on the turret, said cam being rotated by novel means from the main shaft by which the sewing operations are controlled.

In order to give an understanding of the invention I have illustrated in the drawings a selected embodiment thereof which will now be described after which the novel features will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Fig. 1 is a side View of a sewing machine embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 1s a view of the turret and the under-thread mechanism illustrating the cam for operating the loopers;

Fig. 3 is a view of the turret and underthread mechanism seen from the opposite side from that presented in Fig. 2 and show ing the means for operating the looper spreaders; v Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4, Fig 2; Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the turret and under-thread mechanism;

and 17 respectively.

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 66, Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a. section on the line 77, Fig. 4.

In the drawings 1 indicates the bed frame of the sewing machine which supports the head 2 in which reciprocates a needle bar 3 carrying the upper needle 4. This needle is actuated from a driving shaft 5 by any suitable or usual means (not shown). The loopers which operate beneath the work and co-operate with the needle 4 to concatenate the stitches are mounted on a turret 6 as usual in machines of this type, said turret being supported in suitable bearings 7 carried by the frame and being rotatable about a vertical axis so as to carry the stitching around the ends of the buttonhole or around the eyelet.

The turning movement of the turret is derived in usual way from av vertically-extending rock shaft 7 which is actuated from the main cam all as usual in sewing machines of this type and which is provided with two gear sectors 8 and 9 that mesh with gears 10 and ll associated with the needle bar and turret respectively. As will be'understood by those skilled in the art the rock shaft 7 is turned at each end of the buttonhole to give the turret and upper nee-- die a half rotation.

The turret 6 carries the usual throat plate: 12 having the sewing opening 18 through which the needle operates.

The two loopers which co-operate with the needle are shown at 14 and 15 respectively and each looper has associated with it a spreader for spreading the loop of needle thread, said spreaders being indicated at 16 The two loopers 14 and 15 which are of usual construction are: carried by an oscillatory looper carrier 18 which is pivoted on the turret at 19, the oscillation of the looper carrier causing first one looper and then the other to take a loop of needle thread and hold. said loop in position to receive the needle on the next penetrating thrust.

ers to spread the loop of needle thread by means of a spreader actuator 22 which is also pivoted on the turret co-axially with the looper carrier and which is provided with the two arms 23 having the bevelled or cam edges 24 that co-operate with the tails of the spreaders to give them their spreading movement.

The construction is such that the oscillation of the spreader actuator in one direc tion relative to the looper carrier will cause 1 the bevelled face 24 of one arm 23 to act on quired oscillating movement.

the tail of the looper spreader 17 and thus swing said spreader away from the looper 15 while the swinging movement of the spreader actuator 22 in the opposite direc tion will cause the other arm 23 to act on the tail of the looper spreader l6 and cause it to swing away from the looper 14.

The parts thus far described are or may be all as usual in buttonhole sewing machines of this type and their operation will be readily understood by reference to the above-mentioned patents.

As stated above the present invention relates to novel means for giving the looper carrier and the spreader actuator their re- The looper carrier receives its oscillating movement from a looper-controlling cam 25 which is rotatably mounted on the turret 6, said cam being herein shown as mounted on a cam shaft 26 that is journalled in bearings 75, '4' 6 carried by the turret. This cam has a cam groove 27 in which operates a follower 28 carried by an arm 29 that is pivoted to the turret at 30. The free end of the arm is connected by a link 81 to an arm 32 rigid with the looper carrier 18. With this constru'ction the rotation of the cam 25 will operate to oscillate the looper carrier as will be readily understood.

The shape of the cam 27 is such as to give the looper carrier its required irregular movement with dwells at the proper points in each sewing cycle.

The means for rotating the cam 25 will be presently described.

The spreader actuator 22 is operated from another cam 33 herein referred to as a sprerider-controlling cam, which is also fast on the shaft 26. Said cam has a cam path 34 in which is received a follower 35 carried by an arm 36 that is pivoted to the turret at 37. The free end of the arm 36 is connected by a link 38 to an arm 39 e:;- tending from the spreader actuator so that the rotation of the cam 34 will operate to oscillate the spreader actuator. The cam path 34 has such shape relative to that of the cam path 27 that the spreader actuator will be given its oscillating movement in proper timed relation with the movements of the looper carrier. 4

The cam shaft 26 receives its rotation from the sewing shaft 5 by the following mechanism. The cam shaft 26 is provided with two cranks 40, 41 which have an angular relation, as perhaps best seen in Fig. 6. The crank is connected by a connecting rod or member 42 to one end of a lever 43 pivoted at 44 to the bracket portion 45 of the frame. The other end of said lever 43 is connected by a link or connection 46 to an eccentric 47 fast on the shaft 5, said eccentric being encircled by the eccentric strap 48 which is secured to the end of the connection 46.

The crank 41 on the cam shaft 26 is connected by connecting rod 49 to one end of a lever 50 which is pivoted intermediate of its ends at 51 to the bracket 45. The other end of the lever 50 is connected by a connection 52 to an eccentric 53 fast on the shaft 5, said eccentric being surrounded by an eccentric strap 54 which is carried by the end of the connection 52. The two eccentries 47 and 53 have the same angular relation as the cranks 40 and 41 and hence as the shaft 5 is rotated the cam shaft 26 will be rotated in unison therewith.

In order to provide for the rotation of the turret without disturbing the driving connection between the shaft 5 and the cam shaft 26 the lower end of the two connecting rods 42 and 49 are provided with balls 55 and 56 respectively, which are situated in the axial line of the turret and are each received in corresponding sockets formed in the ends of the levers 43 and 50. The connecting rod 49 is shown as extending through the ball 55 as best seen in Figs. 4 and 7, the connecting rod 49 being offset slightly as shown at 57, thus bringing the ball 56 into the axial line of the turret. The lower end of the turret is provided with the central or axial bore 58 through which the connecting rods 49 and 42 extend. lVith this arrangement the operative connections between the sewing shaft 5 and the cam shaft 26 are unaffected by the rotations of the turret.

In some sewing machines of this type one of the loopers is a thread-carrying looper, it being provided with an eye through which the under thread is carried and which thread is concatenated with loops of needle thread. In prior constructions that have embodied a thread-carrying looper it has been customary to take the thread into the turret through an axial passage opening at the lower end of the turret. in the present construction, however, where the connecting rods 49 and 42 extend up through the axial bore 58 of the turret I have provided a clifferent form of thread guide,'which is best seen in Figs. 2 and 3. This comprises a thread-guiding tube 59 which depends from the turret and is provided at its lower end with a linger 60 having two thread eyes 61 llt) memes.-

211161 62, the eye 62beingsituated-in the axial;

usual take-up arm and thence to the looper 1 1-. With this arrangement the feedingof the thread is not affected by the rotation of the turret.

One advantage of the construction herein shown is that the parts which are subjected to the irregular motion required for the looper are relatively small and light. The eccentrics 17, 53 produce an harmonic motion and, therefore, the moving parts between the sewing shaft 5 and the cam shaft 2 6including; said shaft and the cams thereon all have an harmonic motion. It is well known that an harmonic motion is conducive to high speed operation because of the character of the motion. The parts which have the irregular motion are simply the connections between the cam 25 and the looper carrier,v which parts are relatively light in weight and can,.thercfore,.be giventhe required irregular motion at a high speed without subjecting the parts to. undue strain or producing undesirable jar or vibration, such as would be produced if heavy parts were given an irregular motion at high speed:

Provision is made for adjusting the amplitude of movement of the looper carrier and for adjusting the position of the looper carrier relative to the needle so as to bring the parts into proper co-ordination and also for adjusting the relative movements between the looper carrier and the spreader actuator.

For adjusting the amplitude of movement of the looper carrier the link 31 is shown as adjustably connected both to the end of the arm 29 and to the arm 32. These adjustmentsserve as means for determining the amplitude of movement which the cam 25 will give to the looper carrier. For adjusting the looper carrier relative to the positien of the needle I have made the arm 29 in two sections which may be adjusted relative to each other. These two sections are indicated at 80 and 81 respectively,

The section 80 is pivoted to the turret at 30 and the section 81 is pivoted to the section 80 by the stud 82 on which the follower 28 is mounted. The section 81 has the adjustable connection with the link 31. The sectionSO carries a screw-threaded stud 84: which extends through a slot 83 formed in the end of the section 81. hen the screw 8% is loosened the section 81 may be turned about the pivot 82 relative to the section 80 thereby causing an adjusting movement of the looper carrier and when said looper carrier is in proper adjusted position relative to the other parts thescrew-threaded stud s4. is tightened to rigidly connect the two parts 80,81 of the arm 29and make in effect a rigid arm thereof. The link 38 by which the spreader actuator isoperated is alsoadjust ably connected to the arm 36thereby providing: for an adjustment of the movement of the spreader actuator.

The looper-controlling cam 25 is also capable ofbeing adjusted about the shaft 26. Said cam is loose on the shaft and is retained. in adjusted position rigidly with the shaft by means of a clamping screw 66 which e2;- tends through a slot 67 in the cam and screws into a disk 68 rigid with the shaft. By loosening the screw 66 the cam 25 may; beadjusted. on theshaft to bring the looper into proper co-ordination. with the needle.

While I have illustrated herein a. selected embodiment of the invention I do not Wish to'be limited to the constructional featuresshown.

I claim:

1. Ina sewing machine, the combination with a needle, of a sewing shaft by which the needle i s'operated, a turret, two loopersvand their spreaders mounted on the turret, rotary cams on theturret for operating the loopers and looper Spreaders, and means for'rotating saidi cams from the sewing shaft.

2. In a. sewing machine, the. combination with arneedle operating above'the work and meansto actuate the-needle, of a turret beneath the work, loopers and their looper spreaders carried by the turret, a rotatable cam device mounted on the turret for actuating the loopers and looper spreaders, and means to rotate said cam device.

3. In a sewing machine, the combination with a needle operating from above the work, a turret, two loopers and their looper spreader-s carried by the turret, a rotary cam shaft mounted on the turret, two cams thereon, one for operating the loopers and the other for operating the looper spreaders, and means to rotate said cam shaft. I

4. In a sewing machine, the combination with a needle operating from above the work, of a sewing shaft by which the needle is actuated, a turret, two loopers and their looper Spreaders mounted on the turret, a cam shaft rotatably mounted on the turret, two cams thereon, one for operating the loopers and the other for operating the looper Spreaders, and means for rotating said cam shaft from the sewing shaft.

5. In a sewing machine, the combination with a needle, of a turret, two loopers and their looper Spreaders carried by the turret, a cam shaft mounted in the turret and provided with a crank portion, cams on said cam shaft for operating the loopers and the looper spreaders, a connecting rod connected to said crank portion and extending axially through the turret, and means to actuate the connecting rod and thereby rotate the cam shaft.

6. In a sewing machine, the combination with a needle, of a sewing shaft by which it is operated, a turret, two loopers and their looper Spreaders carried by the turret, a cam shaft mounted on the turret and provided with a crank portion, cams on the cam shaft for operating the loopers and looper spreaders, a connecting rod connected to said crank portion and extending axially through the turret, and means for actuating the connecting rod from the sewing shaft.

7. In a sewing machine, the combination with a needle, of a sewing shaft by which it is operated, a turret, two loopers and their looper spreaders carried by the turret, a cam shaft mounted on the turret and provided with a crank portion, cams on the cam shaft for operating the loopers and looper spreaders, a connecting rod connected to said crank portion and extending axially through the turret, an eccentric on the sewing shaft, and connections between said eccentric and said connecting rod.

8. In a sewing machine, the combination with a needle, of a turret, two loopers and their looper spreaders carried by the turret, a cam shaft journalled on the turret and provided with a crank portion, cams mounted on said cam shaft for operating the ioopers and looper Spreaders,- an eccentric on the sewing shaft, and operative connections between said eccentric and crank portion.

9. In a sewing machine, the combination with a needle operating from above the work, a turret situated below the work, under-thread handling mechanism mounted on the turret, a rotary cam also carried by the turret for operating said under-thread handling mechanism, and means for rotating the cam.

10. In a sewing machine, the combination with a needle operating from above the work, of a sewing shaft from which the needle is actuated, a turret situated beneath the work, under-thread handling mechanism carried by the turret, a rotary cam mounted on the turretby which said mechanism is actuated, and means for rotating the cam from the sewing shaft.

11.. In a sewing machine, the combination with a needle operating from above the work, of a turret situated beneath the work, sewing shaft for operating the needle, an osciilatory under-threadmanipulating member carried by the turret, a rotary cam carried by the turret and by which said member is oscillated, and means to actuate said cam from the sewing shaft.

- 12. In a sewing machine, the combination with a needle operating above the work, of a sewing shaft by which the needle is operated, a turret situated beneath the work, an oscillat ry loo er mounted on said turret, a rotatabie cam carried by the turret by which the looper is oscillated, and means for rotating said cam from said sewing shaft.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN KIEI/VICZ. 

